AN: Alright! Finally some slashy stuff! This chapter's a bit shorter, but I think it's worth it. ^_^ This and the fight in the first chapter were what prompted me to write this fic in the first place. I hope you like this chapter as much as I do! Oh and Elspeth, don't worry, It'll happen, I've got that all planned out. And Dawnatello, I'm so glad you liked it! (everybody go read her stuff right now! It's realy good!) And the-princess-bard and everyone else who reviewed: Thank you so much!
"You make it hard to breathe
It's as if I'm suffocating
And when you're next to me
I can feel your heartbeat through my skin
It makes me sad to think
This could all be for nothing
I wish there was a way
For you to see inside of me
I've never felt this way
About anyone or anything
Tell me"
~ What Do I Have to Do?, Stabbing Westward
Remus groaned as he slowly woke from unconsciousness. The change had been bad this time. Probably due to all the stress he'd been under recently, he mused.
He wanted to just lie there on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, but he couldn't. He'd been so upset and on edge yesterday that he'd skipped all his classes. He had never let himself miss more than one day of classes because of his lycanthropy, and he wasn't about to start now.
But that meant getting up and heading back to the castle so that he would be ready on time. It was just barely dawn and no one would be awake to see him come in, but only if he hurried.
He got up and dressed into the tattered, bloodstained pajamas he always wore before and after the change. And headed back as quickly as his protesting body would let him.
He dreaded what would happen today. Sirius and his little gang hadn't looked very happy with him the last time he'd seen them. Like it had been his fault that Black had goaded him into that fight. 'wonder if they'll leave me alone a bit more,' he thought. He laughed mirthlessly as he as he came to the portrait of the sleeping fat lady.
"Um, excuse me?" he said.
"Hmm? Oh, good morning dear," she mumbled sleepily.
"Good morning. 'Coruptus'."
"Ah, yes, very good," she said as the portrait swung open. He had only taken a few steps into the common room when he realized that he was not the only one in the common room at that early hour.
Sirius Black sat in one of the overstuffed armchairs near the fire, but he had turned it so that it faced the portrait hole. He sat, wand in hand with a book on his lap. The same book he'd been carrying around after their fight.
"Where have you been?" for some reason the way he said it made it sounded like a threat. Remus racked his brain for an excuse.
"I was…I wasn't feeling good yesterday, so I went to the hospital wing."
"No you didn't. I check before dinner yesterday, you weren't there." He said. He turned, looking out one of the tall windows at the predawn sky. "The moon set, what, ten minuets ago, right?" he continued, seaming bored. Remus stared at him in horror. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach he said,
"What do you mean?" He tried to sound uninterested, but it came out in a shaky, worried sort of voice.
Sirius turned back to him, picked up the book in his lap and threw it at him. He caught it deftly, and looked down at it, already knowing what he would see. It was a book about werewolves.
"The scar's a dead give away. I was going to ask you about it yesterday, but I didn't see you." Remus risked a glance at him, he was looking at him with cold eyes.
"P-please, d-don't tell anyone," He asked pitifully. Sirius stood up from his chair and walked toward him. "If anyone complains…" Remus muttered, but Sirius interrupted him, coming to a stop only a few steps away.
"You'll get expelled. Yeah, I sort of figured that." The other boy's expression hadn't changed, he was still looking at him with that piercing cold gaze.
"What will you give me?" he asked suddenly. Remus just stared at him in confusion.
"What?" he asked. Sirius' face broke into calculating sneer, and the worry in his stomach started to twist itself into a rather painful knot.
"What will you give me, to keep quiet?" he said softly. Enunciating each word as if talking to a small child.
"I-I don't have anything," Remus muttered, shaking his head so that his hair fell into his eyes. That piercing gaze bore into him, considering, and weighing options.
"Have you every kissed anyone?" Black asked suddenly. The smaller boy just stared at him in shock for a long moment.
"no…" he finally squeaked out. Sirius grinned like a cheshire cat, but his eyes remained narrowed.
"Good," he said cryptically. "Close your eyes."
"What!?" he sputtered. He could possibly mean to…to…
"Either that, or I can go right up to our dorm and tell Peter all about your little…" he paused looking for the right words "…problem. You know how much he likes to gossip." Sirius took a step toward him, bringing them only centimeters apart.
"…fine…" he said, staring the other boy in the eye before he closed his. His body tensed, as if he were expecting a blow.
Hands closed over his shoulders, holding him steady as the other boy leaned closer. His breath brushed warm over Remus' lips. I can't believe he's going to do this, he thought desperately. But then all thought stopped and he froze in place as Sirius' lips descended on his own.
Fireworks went off in the back of his head. And suddenly, it didn't matter why Sirius was doing this or what humiliating repercussions this might have. It didn't matter that his body still throbbed with pain from the Change, or weather or not Sirius would keep his secret. This felt too good, too right, for him to worry about anything at all.
He felt a tongue run across his lips and he gasped. And Sirius took the opportunity to delve in and explore Remus' mouth with his tongue. An electric shiver raced through him and he leaned forward, pressing their bodies closer together.
One of Sirius' hands reached up to grab the back of his neck, moaning into the other boy's mouth. But Remus went stiff as a board and started to struggle against his grip. Their kiss broke off abruptly, but Sirius remained pressed against him his fast panting breaths rushing against his cheek and ear.
"I won't tell anyone," he whispered into his ear before quickly pulling back and retreating up to their dorm.
But weather he was talking about the kiss, Remus' lycanthropy, or both, the other boy couldn't tell.
